H-King Marine Scott Free Review

OFFSHORE DEEP V RACER

This article was originally published in RC Driver’s July 2016 issue.

Words: Jim Onorato
Photos: Edwin Rodriguez

HobbyKing Marine’s Scott Free Racing Boat is an upgraded version of their previously released Quanum Aquaholic and has a scale-like appearance and paint scheme modeled on the full scale Scott Free Offshore Racing Boat that currently dominates the Super Boat Vee Class racing circuit in the United States. It is offered in either RTR (Ready to Run) or ARR (Almost Ready To Run) versions. The subject of this review is the latter. The upgrades are all aimed at increasing speed and include a 60A ESC, strong, 4mm flex shaft drive system, threebladed metal prop and 4S LiPo capability, all of which combine to deliver awesome performance.

REVIEWER’S OPINION
I really liked the sleek look of the Scott Free and its brilliant, fiberglass- like finish. Although it is extremely fast, it is very stable and easily handles tight turns and “not-socalm” water. It is exciting to watch it race down the straightaway and a blast to operate.

ITEMS NEEDED
• Transmitter and Receiver
• Transmitter batteries
• Two 2S-4000 mAh LiPo Battery packs
• LiPo battery charger

ITEMS USED
• HobbyKing HK-GT2 transmitter & GT2R receiver
• Eight “AA” Duracell batteries
• Two Turnigy Nano Tech 2S-4000 mAh LiPo
• Battery Packs in series
• Cellpro 4S LiPo Charger

OUT OF THE BOX
The ARR version of the Scott Free Offshore Deep V Racing Boat comes with everything you need except transmitter, receiver, batteries and charger. It comes with a water-cooled, 2815 brushless outrunner motor, 60A watercooled ESC, and a high torque steering servo all already installed. It also includes an ABS stand, instruction manual, waterproof balloon for the receiver and a few small tools. The hull is made of lightweight yet durable ABS plastic and has a quick-remove, watertight hatch held in place with a mechanical latch. Beneath the hatch cover are the water-cooled brushless motor, water-cooled ESC, steering servo and trays for two drive batteries (not included). The drive is direct with a 4mm flex shaft and the steering is via a single non-folding alloy metal rudder. The hull has a beautifully painted fiberglass-like gloss finish with decals that have been applied before the final clear coat which seals them from the elements while providing a top-notch professional look. The only assembly required is to bolt on the rudder and propeller, connect the steering linkage and install your receiver and drive batteries.

ON THE WATER
The Scott Free’s first runs were made on a sunny, late winter afternoon with just enough of a breeze to cause small ripples on the lake. After turning on the transmitter and plugging in the LiPo packs, I closed the hatch cover and set the boat in the water. It sat perfectly level in the water just waiting for my first command. When I squeezed the throttle trigger, the prop cavitated wildly so I backed off on the throttle to let the boat get moving then re-applied full throttle. The boat accelerated so quickly I thought it was going to fly. This deep V is REALY FAST yet quite stable and is able to negotiate some fairly tight turns without flipping. While doing large figure 8’s, the boat cut through its own waves without even a bounce. The most fun I had was making high speed runs down the straightaway just enjoying its impressive speed and high rooster tail. I was very pleased with the Scott Free’s performance and will continue to enjoy it all summer and then some.

DOCKSIDE DEDUCTIONS
HobbyKing’s Scott Free Offshore Racing Team Deep V Racing Boat is a high quality, almostready- to-run off-shore racer offered at a great price. It’s durable, lightweight ABS hull, quickremove water tight hatch and high powered motor and ESC make it easy to use and fun to run. It is wicked fast and very agile.

SPECS AND TUNING OPTIONS

LENGTH: 28.7 in.(730mm)
BEAM: 7.09 in.(180mm)
HULL MATERIAL: Light weight ABS plastic
SPEED CONTROL: Water cooled 60A brushless w/BEC (included)
DRIVE BATTERY: 4S-4000 mAh LiPo (two 2S-4000 mAh in series)
Motor: Water cooled 2815 brushless outrunner (included)
PROP: 3-bladed metal
RUDDER: single non-folding alloy metal
DRIVE SYSTEM: 4mm flex shaft direct drive

LINKS
H-King Marine, hobbyking.com
HobbyKing, hobbyking.com
Turnigy, turnigy.com